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Friday, October 22, 2010

Taking The Good With The Bad

Last Friday, a thoughtful man (insert sarcasm) totaled my car for me. This has been a HUGE stress on me. I have cried approximately 51 times because of this. I'm an analyzer by nature. I think about every statement, and action... and then I break it down. So, my head has been going CRAZY this week. As it stands, I still haven't been offered a rental, and no settlement has been reached. This is all because the man who hit me refuses to give his statement to the insurance company, and we now have to wait on the police report. Awesome! What does this have to do with weight loss? Stress is a killer on the body!

Everyone reacts differently to stress. Some eat until they are so full, they can't remember why they were stressed to begin with. Others quit eating, or eat so little that they drop LOTS of weight. Neither way is ideal, for obvious reasons. How does my body react? I'm not hungry when I'm stressed, but it seems when I do eat, my body hangs on to EVERY SINGLE CALORIE.

I have bounced all over the scale this week. Now... before you fuss, I know that you should really only weigh yourself once a week. But, I was curious to see what this stress was doing. I've gone up, I've gone down.. and repeat. So, I'm going to NOT over-analyze the week. I've made less than ideal meal choices, but have worked out as much as possible. Because, "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands, they just don't." -Legally Blonde

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Motivation

There's a lot of discussion about motivation. This is what I hear most often from people: "I just don't have any motivation." Really? There's not one single thing that you can think of to motivate you? NOTHING?

I sat down trying to figure out the key to MY motivation? Is it my daughter? My husband? My health? My vanity? What actually made me start this journey? Then I remembered this: My daughter's 4th birthday pictures. When I saw them, I wanted to cry. What happened to me? At what point did I just give up? I'm not sure, but I knew one thing had to change, and that was ME.



So, after a lot of tears, I got moving. The pictures below are a couple of weeks old, so I've lost even more. But, I am SO very proud of myself. For me, getting started was hard. Once you start, though, you become a freight train. You SEE the progress. You FEEL the progress. And, you don't want to stop. My husband (the photographer) is a lot taller than me, so these aren't the best pics to show how much I've lost. Hopefully, you can see the difference from the first picture. I know I feel 50+ pounds lighter! I often joke about my obsession with weight loss and exercise. I just love it! For me, seeing and feeling the changes in body are the motivation that keep me going. Is it easy? Of course not! But, the pros definitely exceed the cons. I think that everyone has it in them. They just truly have to WANT it, and make it a priority. If it isn't a priority, you'll never reach your desired goal. Don't let lack of motivation be your excuse or your way of life.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Sayonara!!!

FINALLY! I have been trying to get to 50 lbs for the last week. I hit 49, and then nothing. I was peeved. Really? 49? I can't have that ONE more pound? Of course not. This week, I was on a mission. Come Hell or high water, I was losing that extra pound. And, so I did. =)

Yesterday, I actually pushed myself harder than I've pushed in a long time. I made myself do 3 extra miles on the elliptical, and as a result, burned more calories than I had consumed for the day. I was burning into the previous day's caloric intake. Hmm... probably not the wisest decision. But, I ate a large healthy dinner when I left the gym.

So, today I sit at a 52 pound weight loss. I'm not finished yet, but I think I just topped the first mountain... and the view from here is incredible.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Motivate Me!

I have recently started "following" (sounds creepy, I know) a group of women that each have a blog. Their blogs are about their daily lives as women, mothers, and wives. But, they are mostly about living a healthy lifestyle. These 6 women known as the "Big 6," have thousands of followers, all of which are from many different walks of life. These women set out to inspire, to be honest about their daily struggles, to tell it how it is.

This made me think... Where would I be without my online support group? Would I have lost 49 pounds without them? Maybe. Probably not. As someone who's addicted to social networking sites, I love that I can post when I'm frustrated, or don't feel like going to the gym, and my friends tell me to get out there and do it! Sometimes, we all need a little extra motivation. I LOVE THIS! I can always count on others that are in a similar situation of trying to improve their bodies, to encourage, motivate, and once again, tell me how it is.

I challenge myself on a daily basis to make the best choices to meet my weight loss goals. I challenge you to do the same. Because, together, we can kick butt and finally reach the finish line...one mile (or pound) at a time.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Can You Make That A Large?

I have resorted to raiding other people's closets. Let me explain.

All of my clothes are too big. This isn't a complaint...just something I didn't think about when I began this journey. In the last five months, I've gone through three wardrobes. In the last two months, I've purged my closet of three large trash bags of clothes. I've also had to replace shoes, because apparently my feet shrank! This causes mixed feelings for a couple of reasons. I am THRILLED that they no longer fit. It means I am moving down another size, but it causes a little apprehension as well. What am I going to wear?

As I get smaller, and my clothes appear to grow, I look sloppier and sloppier. For those of you that don't know, I work in a professional office setting. I don't have the option of wearing jeans or sweats to work. I have no uniform. It's me, the department store, and whatever business attire I can find. If someone could donate a few thousand dollars to the "Ang's Clothing Fund," it would be greatly appreciated. Just to give you an idea of what I deal with, I changed clothes four times this morning. Clothes that were a bit "snug" last winter, are now so large, I wouldn't be caught dead in them, much less in my office.

Here's how the raiding has gone: I call friends and ask if they have clothes I can borrow. Many are more than willing to rid their closets of items they no longer wear, or no longer fit. I get free clothes, and they get a cleaner closet.

Recently I was asking my mother if she had any gym clothes I could borrow. My mom and I work out together as much as possible, so she's losing weight as well. She pulled some adorable pants out, and handed them to me. I looked at the size: LARGE. Um, yeah... I don't think so. I can't fit into those!! But, I tried them on. They fit!! I was shocked and ecstatic all in the same breath. To go from a 2X to a Large in 5 months is so overwhelming for me. I'm happy, feel great, and ready for more (or less, depending on how you look at it).